All posts by vtwoconcept

Porsche Beetle!

Get a load of this! Marcos Varlotta from northwest London has created the ultimate Bug by swapping his 1303 Beetle’s original engine, suspension, brakes and interior with bits from a 2002 2.7-litre Porsche Boxster. But that’s not all, he plans to carry out the same hugely impressive feat of engineering prowess to recreate a replica 1955 Porsche 356A ‘Silver Bullet’ and an iconic Porsche 906 racecar.

Marcos, a life time Beetle fan, spent his youth trying to make his elderly Bugs go, stop and handle better and realising the limitations, decided to shortcut the process by opting for Boxster running gear instead. “I wanted to create a classic looking car with modern mechanicals and the latest equipment such as ABS and air conditioning, and this seemed the best way of doing it,” smiles Marcos.

He and his team at VTWOCONCEPT spent three months creating the Porsche Beetle, which they’ve given the codename ‘VW986s’. It involved making special jigs and specialist tooling with the trickiest bit, according to Marcos, making the Beetle body fit on the wider Boxster platform. “We’ve done all the hard work producing a template for what is, we hope, the first of many different models using Boxster parts. If anything it’s probably over-engineered, but it will allow us to keep down the final costs of our future products.”

As we understand it, one of the main aims was to make the car totally reliable and easy to maintain, so if it needed a service, a clutch or new brake pads, for example, it would be the same operation as on a factory Boxster.

Marcos shopped at VW Heritage for virtually everything to do with the Beetle side of things, buying all manner of parts from panels to rubbers and four new wings which he subsequently extended by 20cm to allow him to fit those mahoosive Boxster rims.

We certainly think it looks the dog’s danglies and obviously Marcos is suitably pleased of what he’s managed to achieve. “If you like VWs and you like Porsches, this is definitely the car to have,” quips Marcos. “It’s fast and just so nice to drive.”

The V Two Concept Beetle combines the classic and iconic design of the VW Beetle with the modern comforts and power of the Porsche Boxster.

This concept uses the later Volkswagen Beetle 1303 to house the interior, suspension, brakes, transmission and engine from the Porsche 2.7L Boxster S.

A perfect combination of retro style and modern performance.

On the exterior you’ll find Porsche alloy wheels, side intakes and automatic rear spoiler. Behind the rear decklid you will find boot space instead of the under powered aircooled VW engine.

The interior features fully re-trimmed seats, dash, carpets and door panels and also incorporates the Boxster roll cage. The mid mounted engine sits proudly behind the front seats with clear custom made engine cover to show off the Porsche power plant. The cover also suppresses engine heat and noise.

Engine

2.7 Boxter 24V (228 Hp)

Doors

2

Power

228 hp

Seats

2

Volume of engine

2687 cm3

Max power in

6300 rpm.

Torque

260/4700 Nm

Fuel System

Multi-point injection

Valvetrain

DOHC

Position of cylinders

Boxer

Number of cylinders

6

Diameter of cylinders (bore)

85.5 mm.

Stroke in the cylinder

78 mm.

Compression ratio

11

Number of valves per cylinder

4

Fuel Type

Petrol (Gasoline) A-98

Wheel Drive

Rear

Number of Gear (automatic Gearbox)

5

Number of Gear (mechanical Gearbox)

5

Front brakes

Ventilated discs

Rear brakes

Ventilated discs

The build of the car starts off as a bare shell which is then reshaped to suit the new modifications to house the Porsche engine, transmission, suspension and wheels. A lot of skill and fabrication is used during this process. See some images below taken during fabrication. An obvious part of the images show the widening of the rear wings for the wide Porsche wheels to sit under. You will also notice that what was the engine bay of where the old VW beetle engine sat has now been shelved as part of the boot conversion.